A key stage in the multi-million pound transformation of Dundee's waterfront could be underway within weeks if councillors back the move this week.

Members of the city development and policy and resources committees will be asked to approve the £20m, five year third phase of the project, including imminent work to install a £3m storm water tank.

Leader of Dundee City Council, Ken Guild said: "This phase of work is larger and more complex than previous activity, and as well as the storm water tank contract we are being asked to approve, it will also see demolition of ramps to and from the Tay Road Bridge, construction of new ramps in a modern, compact formation and associated utility diversions.

"When the central waterfront area is complete not only will the heart of Dundee be re-connected with its stunning estuary setting, but up to 3,500 permanent jobs will be created bringing in £2.6 billion to the national economy."

A considerable amount of work has already gone on behind the scenes to secure funding, get approval from the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board for key elements of the plan and coordination for the trunk roads network from BEAR Scotland.

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The backing of the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board was needed so that contractors could get access to board land, and in order that engineering design and traffic flow for the bridge could be managed during the various construction phases.

Fine tuning of the proposed phasing of the works was completed after discussions with BEAR, the managing agents for the trunk road network in Scotland.

BEAR intend to reconstruct East Dock Street from Trades Lane to Broughty Ferry Road, coordinated with phase three of the central waterfront project, which will also need extensive traffic management.

That means that the East Dock Street works, which include creating a new Trades Lane junction, will initially run from late summer this year for three to four months.

AMCO is being proposed as the contractor for the storm water tank which will take around a year to complete from its expected start date in the next few weeks.

Because of its location on the grassed area to the east of the Hilton Hotel, work on building the tank will have no impact on drivers.

The first work at the Tay Road Bridge itself is scheduled to start early next year and include the bridge ramps, service diversions and the construction of the proposed northern boulevard.

This part of the project will take more than four years, with completion expected early in 2014.

The phasing of the works is extremely complex and could change as contractors are appointed and work begins on site.

That complexity and the overall length of the programme is partly caused by the need to minimise the impact on road and bridge users, and to ensure the city is open for business as usual during the implementation of these major works.

(GK/JM)